We want to have as many good families join our school as possible. If you know a family that would be a good fit please have them contact the office for a tour. We have much to offer-we have wonderful students, a dedicated teaching staff, and supportive parishes. There is a positive feel at our school and a variety of new educational initiatives for the students. There is a sense of respect and responsibility that continues to grow. We have a lovely school facility with a full-size gym, computer lab, and preschool. We follow a thorough curriculum and our students score high marks on standardized tests. Our parents, who can speak to the value of a SJS education, are our best recruiters. There is a Roundup for Preschool and Kindergarten on February 22nd. And, just a reminder, there is no school February 15, 16, and 19.

We have opened up registration for next school year to our current families. We open registration to SJS parents first as a courtesy and service to you, but next week it will be open to all. If you have any questions please give the office a call. Registering quickly helps to secure your spot at SJS.

We will soon enter into the Church season of Lent. It is a time to make ourselves ready for Easter. At school we will be discussing prayer, fasting and almsgiving as ways to prepare ourselves and make ourselves the best we can be. That is one of the blessings of the Church; we have many reminders and opportunities for improvement. I hope attendance at Mass is a regular and important part of your weekend and your Lenten experiences. I read an article that offered some advice on ways to engage students in Mass. They were: get young children a picture book about the Mass, teach your children the Mass songs, prayers, and responses, show great reverences once inside the church, sit in front of church so your children can see better, and celebrate and recognize good church behavior. I found those to be practical ideas.

There are many opportunities to become involved in our fine school. We need your participation. You can become involved with coaching a sports team, volunteering at the fish fry, volunteering in the library or classrooms, Home and School events, volunteer to help with musical programs, and Athletic Club just to name a few. If you are interested in being more involved feel free to contact the office for more information. The parent participation requirements here at SJS state that each family is required to perform 20 hours of volunteer work for the school or parish. Single-parent families are required to perform 10 hours.

We also want to maintain academic rigor, so we will be continuing to challenge our students. One of our school goals is to have addition and subtraction facts mastered (meaning the answer can be recalled very quickly) by the end of 2nd grade, and multiplication and division mastered by the end of 4th grade. We also want students to avoid late work. Your help may be necessary to reach these goals. Thanks for all you do.